New Mortal Kombat 2 movie trailer is all Johnny Cage, no Cole Young

A new trailer for Mortal Kombat 2 dropped on Wednesday, promising to take everything that happened in the previous Mortal Kombat movie to the next level. But apparently that doesn’t include the controversial protagonist of 2021’s Mortal Kombat. There’s a near-total absence of MMA combatant/MK contestant Cole Young in the latest look at Mortal Kombat 2, which instead chooses to focus on Johnny Cage as the new hero of the film franchise.

It’s a wise choice on Warner Bros.’ behalf, both as a payoff to the previous film’s ending, which promised Johnny Cage’s importance in the Mortal Kombat tournament, and for giving Karl Urban a spotlight to shine as the washed-up, soon-to-be-redeemed version of Cage. Urban’s charm, comic timing, and prowess at flipping out of the way of Tarkatan bone shards is undeniable here. And yes, I definitely believe that is Karl doing all those sick flips. (Let me just enjoy this movie magic!)

But Urban’s Cage isn’t the only standout in Mortal Kombat 2‘s latest trailer. Adeline Rudolph’s Kitana looks fantastic in her one-on-one against Johnny; Ludi Lin’s Liu Kang is finally getting some much-deserved screen time; and it’s nice to see Emmy-nominated actor Tadanobu Asano (of Shogun fame) back as Raiden. Of course, we also get a look at Bi-Han (aka Noob Saibot) and Scorpion going at it, which is always a treat. Martyn Ford also looks spot-on as Shao Kahn, as expected, and we get to welcome back previously dead guys Kano (Josh Lawson) and Kung Lao (Max Huang), because what even is death in the Mortal Kombat universe?

Mortal Kombat 2 stars Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Jessica McNamee as Sonya, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Desmond Chiam as King Jerrod, Ana Thu Nguyen as Sindel, CJ Bloomfield as Baraka, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han/Sub-Zero, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion. And yes, Lewis Tan is back as Cole Young, who appears in this trailer at 1:49 for less than one second. Simon McQuoid returns to direct the sequel, based on a script from Jeremy Slater.

Mortal Kombat 2 opens in movie theaters on May 8. A third Mortal Kombat movie is already confirmed.